I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's two years ago this month after finding a standard, relatively small nodule. My Thyroid panel, at that time, was normal but my Hashi's antibodies were "sky high."

My doc told me there was nothing to do but wait for my thyroid to burn out. Thankfully I researched it myself and found that administering Synthroid (or, presumably, Armour) early on could potentially halt the progression of the disease.

Periodically over the past two years I've gone through what seem like very typical hypo symptoms - deep, deep exhaustion and fatigue, cold sensitivity, brain-fog, weight gain, etc. Every time, my lab panel come back completely normal.

This time I've decided to cut out caffeine and gluten entirely and start doing yoga again. I anticipate this will help but, nonetheless, still feel lousy. I've read this is common - to have symptoms despite normal levels.

Cutting out gluten and cigarettes is a great place to start. Hashimoto's is an autoimmune disease and as such requires immune support. Gluten has been linked to autoimmune conditions is many scientific articles. Have you had a full thyroid panel done to test your free T3 and T4? You can have a totally normal TSH and not be converting T4 to T3 well, which gives you hypothyroid symptoms. Low testosterone levels can also interfere with the conversion. My advice would be to keep looking at what is driving the autoimmune condition. Finding a good integrative medicine MD, ND, or other "alternative" health practitioner will help.

Not all doctors have the same attitude as yours. You could be treated now if you can find a willing MD.

Your free T4 and free T3 levels are more important than TSH. With Hashi's, TSH can remain falsely "normal" due to interference from thyroid antibodies. It can remain "normal" for years or even decades after T4 and T3 have become deficient.

Bottom line is... If your FT4 is lower than lab median, it's likely responsible for many symptoms and should be raised with supplemental thyroid hormone. [Find lab median by adding together the bottom and top numbers in the lab range, then divide by two.] If you want treatment, consult with as many MDs as it takes to get it.

__________________ "We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses." Abraham Lincoln
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I was diagnosed with low testosterone three years ago. Around that time I had absolutely no sex drive as well as depression and fatigue. The only symptom I have these days is low-energy. I will get it tested though.

I guess I'll ride out the gluten-free thing and add some yoga and see how I feel in a few weeks. Thanks!

Not all doctors have the same attitude as yours. You could be treated now if you can find a willing MD.

Your free T4 and free T3 levels are more important than TSH. With Hashi's, TSH can remain falsely "normal" due to interference from thyroid antibodies. It can remain "normal" for years or even decades after T4 and T3 have become deficient.

Bottom line is... If your FT4 is lower than lab median, it's likely responsible for many symptoms and should be raised with supplemental thyroid hormone. [Find lab median by adding together the bottom and top numbers in the lab range, then divide by two.] If you want treatment, consult with as many MDs as it takes to get it.

I no longer see that doctor and I currently do not have health insurance so it's a bit tricky. Thankfully I have a years worth of Synthroid prescribed.

My numbers are normal, slightly higher than lab median, in fact. I upped my Synthroid from 75 > 100 mcg a few days ago, so this may account for the bump in the test. The blood was drawn yesterday.

I cut out gluten long ago, but like you I still did not feel correct and I still had a host of symptoms. What was worse was that my TSH would bounce in and out of the normal range even though my dosage was the same.

I saw what I would call a "Voodoo Doctor".... I call him this as his methods were unconventional. The smart thing he did do is run a few tests on food sensitivities. Apparently I scored a high sensitivity to Dairy and Eggs. By cutting them out, I reduced any lingering inflammation within my system and I began to feel better, especially in the afternoon and evenings. But the real change was when I cut back on sugars (carbs).... then the light went on and my body came alive. Please note that it did not return me to my pre-Hashimoto status of a normal male, but it certainly made things much better.

I am waiting to see an endocrinologist next week. In the meantime I got a private lab test for Testosterone and TPOAb.

I'm having a hard time sorting this out on my own in part because I am 38 and aware that after 35 yo, for many people, energy levels change somewhat. OTOH, as with the white hairs for example, the symptom has been quite dramatic. In the past three months a big patch of hair went suddenly and dramatically white.

I've been looking at a well known website online that strongly promotes dessicated thyroid but finding it strongly worded and a bit dogmatic. They strongly oppose Synthroid only treatment but I know many people who've done fine on Synthroid for 40 years.

Sigh. I feel like crap.

Last edited by glowingFox; 04-04-2013 at 12:21 PM.
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I can completely understand what you're going through. My last labs were all normal. I told my doctor that I still felt off so she upped my Synthroid without any more tests. I still feel horrible. My hairs falling out, I'm always tired, my arms fall asleep, my nails are brittle, I've gained 10+ lbs in the last month or so.
I'm working on getting into a different dr that will find out the problem and not just raise my meds.
Please keep us updated on what you find out or what helps!!

The good news is... I've had those symptoms for several years in the past, as well as many, many more. I also ended up with a few docs who thought symptoms such as that couldn't possibly be related to my thyroid. The bad news is that when on thyroid meds, the slightest change in diet or your dosage of thyroid meds will either remove symptoms, or bring on a pile of new ones until the "sweet" spot is found.

My antibodies were not wildly elevated but it turns out my testosterone is low which my doc didn't explain but said is common for men with Hashi's. He advised weights and DHEA. So, since posting the above, I have almost entirely cut out dairy and gluten, added zinc, copper, DHEA and a high-quality probiotic and just started yoga up again. I'm feeling much better. My memory is still crummy but most of the other symptoms have diminished. I anticipate that the yoga will help with lean muscle, and my endocrine system's general well being. Good luck worried mom. Hashi's produces a special kind of misery....I hope you feel better soon.